Bodo/Glimt Coach Kjetil Knutsen: We're No Longer a Surprise

Knutsen's Minnows continue giant-killing streak

Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen says team is no longer a surprise after 5th straight Champions League win. Knutsen's Bodo/Glimt proves they're a force to be reckoned with in Europe.

Kjetil Knutsen's Bodo/Glimt proves they're a force to be reckoned with in Europe...

Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen says his team is no longer a surprise after securing a fifth straight Champions League win, beating Sporting Lisbon 3-0. The Arctic minnows have taken down giants like Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan (twice), proving they're a force to be reckoned with.

Knutsen attributes their success to the team's hunger, ability to learn, and a culture that fosters development. He's staying humble and focused on the next challenge, saying “It's easy to be satisfied when you get to where we are now, and that's not a trap we should go into.”

Asked if the ‌result would send shockwaves through European football, Knutsen was his ‌usual sanguine self, never letting an individual result affect how he sees the progress his club is making.

“I think we're on a great journey now, ‌and I don't think we should reflect too ⁠much on that right now - ‌I think we should evaluate the game, what was good, what was less good, and then we should work on it,” he told reporters.

"It's easy to be satisfied when you get to where we are now, and that's not a trap we should go into. We'll evaluate what was good and what was less ⁠good, and that's really what we've done in good and bad periods,” he added.

It's become a familiar tale: a bigger club brings a squad bristling with talent to the minnows from the fishing town inside the Arctic Circle, and promptly gets an unexpected, but well-deserved thrashing from a team made up of nine Norwegians, a Danish striker, and a Russian-Israeli keeper. Bodo/Glimt's got a knack for upsetting the big teams.

Five incredible wins in a row 🖐️

Another chapter in Bodø/Glimt's fairytale ✨#UCL pic.twitter.com/9OOXjccGgr

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 11, 2026

“You see the hunger in the group of players, and you see how good they are at learning. There's something ‌about that, and then we have a culture that gives people the opportunity to develop and be good,” Knutsen explained.

Bodo/Glimt's gameplan is an open book, and it's working wonders. They invite pressure, defend deep, and then pounce on the counter – a formula that's yielded impressive results against top teams.

“It's ⁠so complex, but we have ⁠to be just as humble ‌and hungry for what's to come,”  Knutsen said.